In Peachtree City, Georgia, an unusual New Year’s Day incident ended with the help of some high-tech police equipment—a flying drone with a thermal camera.
It all started when officers pulled over 25-year-old Tyrese Bullard near the intersection of Georgia Highway 74 and Kedron Drive. He wasn’t alone in the car; his girlfriend, Cherice Ingram from Atlanta, was with him. Inside her purse, officers spotted a pistol. Things got even more suspicious when they said they smelled marijuana inside the car.
The officers asked the couple to step out of the vehicle, but what happened next was unexpected. According to police, Bullard grabbed the purse with the gun and bolted. Suddenly, a routine traffic stop turned into a manhunt in a nearby neighborhood.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The Peachtree City Police Department recently added a drone equipped with a thermal camera to their arsenal, and they decided it was the perfect time to test it out. As Bullard tried to hide in the woods behind a home in the subdivision, the drone quickly located him. Within minutes, officers on the ground, along with a police K-9, were closing in.
The drone footage captured the intense moments as the team surrounded Bullard and made the arrest. Both Bullard and Ingram were charged with possession of a stolen firearm. Investigators later revealed that the gun had been reported stolen in Henry County.
But that’s not all—Bullard is now facing additional charges for running from the police. It seems his attempt to escape on foot didn’t go as planned, thanks to the quick thinking of the officers and the power of technology.
This incident serves as a reminder of how modern tools like drones are changing the game for law enforcement, helping them track down suspects and keep communities safe. For Bullard, however, it marked the start of a challenging new year.